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Thread: Help, connecting multiple older systems

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    Cherry (Level 1)
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    Default Help, connecting multiple older systems

    I am trying to connect a Sega Master System, Turbografx 16, Atari 2600, Nes, PS1,X box 1, and a Xbox 360. I want to connect all of these and be able to switch back and forth with a switch instead of disconnecting cords. Its an older TV with 1 screw in port.

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    I just picked up a Pelican brand switchbox today. I posted a pic on the Dec2011 finds thread. I'm keeping it, but you can look for these on Ebay. They're pretty cheap, and have the coaxial (screw in) input as well as AV, so you can use the stock cords for your consoles.

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    I recently had to do a setup like that for using an older tv...what I ended up doing (pending you have some av cables for your systems):

    Hooking up all the systems that can use AV cables (red-white-yellow) into an av switchbox (cheap nowadays) and then plug the output from that into a decent rf modulator. Not the fanciest way, but this had way less interference (and slightly better quality) for me than using multiple rf boxes into each other.
    Last edited by burn_654; 12-04-2011 at 11:01 PM.

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    thanks guys.big help.i have to figure out what i can do.

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    Cherry (Level 1)
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    also, what type ob bases are those the game units are sitting on?

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    There are actually AV switchboxes that have RF modulators built in. They're made by RCA and I swear they're sold at Wal-Mart.

    As for power cords, what you want to do there is get a UPS (because some systems will go fucknuts if a random power out happens at the wrong time). Make sure it has a lot of ports, or else get more than one.

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    Yeah, the Pelican one mentioned above has the RF thingy built in. I've got one, though I've never had reason to use it for the RF. Mine also does S-Video.

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    You can also use a higher end audio receiver for this. My Denon has a truckload of inputs that I use to keep everything hooked up.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Duke.Togo View Post
    You can also use a higher end audio receiver for this. My Denon has a truckload of inputs that I use to keep everything hooked up.
    Yep. I just bought a Yamaha HTR-5840. It has S-video, RCA, and Component. You can get them for at or under around $100 if you do a little hunting on Amazon Marketplace, eBay, or Craigslist. A similar model might suit your needs. I primarily bought this one because it was cheap and I needed it because the control console on my z-5500s went to crap, not because I wanted to hook up all of my systems to one box, but it might be great for that too someday.
    Last edited by Informationator; 12-06-2011 at 08:30 AM. Reason: Clarity.

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    man, you guys know your stuff. will there be ant problems once i get a better TV?

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    Quote Originally Posted by LimitedEditionMuseum View Post
    man, you guys know your stuff. will there be ant problems once i get a better TV?
    The primary concern with any setup (well, for me anyway), is input lag. That is, the amount of time it takes for what you're doing on your controller to register on the screen. The more processing you add to the signal, the higher the chance of your experience being negatively impacted by input lag.

    So, between using a receiver (that will probably process your video signal) and a modern television (which will probably process your video signal again), there is a possibility for some lag.

    This is why users might stick to simple amplifier boxes like this for splitting signals and/or route the signal directly to an old CRT television; you end up with less processing time.

    Ultimately, it won't make THAT much of a difference, but I'm pretty picky about that sort of stuff.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Informationator View Post
    The primary concern with any setup (well, for me anyway), is input lag. That is, the amount of time it takes for what you're doing on your controller to register on the screen. The more processing you add to the signal, the higher the chance of your experience being negatively impacted by input lag.

    So, between using a receiver (that will probably process your video signal) and a modern television (which will probably process your video signal again), there is a possibility for some lag.

    This is why users might stick to simple amplifier boxes like this for splitting signals and/or route the signal directly to an old CRT television; you end up with less processing time.

    Ultimately, it won't make THAT much of a difference, but I'm pretty picky about that sort of stuff.
    This went way over my head..........I also need to know is there any type of cables to enable systems to be connected further away from the system than the short cables that most come with? that sounds confusing

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